Laine, Mason take a bite out of the Big Apple in Jets 3-0 win over Rangers

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This article was published 06/03/2018 (2753 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Start spreading the news: NHL goaltenders have no answer for Patrik Laine these days.

The 19-year-old put on another goal-scoring clinic Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, scoring all three goals to lead the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers. He did it in front of the largest media horde in the biggest market in the league, more than a dozen family members in from Finland to watch him play and even the Finnish ambassador to the United Nations. 

Just another day in the big leagues for a player whose superstardom continues to reach new heights.

“Just pure luck, I guess. I don’t know, man. That’s a good question. It’s kind of a secret, so I don’t want everybody to know that,” Laine said in response to a Free Press post-game query of how he’s beating the best goalies in the world with his shot on a regular basis.

“I knew I was going to be better (in) the second half and I’ve done that,” he said. “I added some pounds during the summer, so you try to get used to it during the season. After Christmas, I felt like I was flying on the ice. I’m not flying, it just feels like it.”

Not to be overlooked, goalie Steve Mason stopped 31 shots in his first NHL start in nearly two months to record his first shutout of the season. It was quite a return from his second concussion of the year.

“It’s been a frustrating year. To have two concussions in the same season, miss a lot of time, you’re not going on the road all the time, so you’re spending a lot of time at home. So it’s nice to be back around the team and go on the road trip at an important part of the year,” Mason said after recording his fourth victory of the campaign.

The good vibes were somewhat muted by No. 1 centre Mark Scheifele suffering what appears to be a shoulder injury and having to leave the game. He collided with teammate Blake Wheeler in the opening period and was in obvious discomfort as he made his way off the ice and got attention from trainers on the bench. He remained in the game but absorbed several more big hits. Scheifele played his final shift with just under four minutes left in the middle frame before heading to the dressing room with what the team called an upper-body injury. Scheifele missed 16 games earlier this season with a suspected shoulder ailment, returning in early February. Winnipeg went 11-2-3 during his absence.

It remains to be seen whether the Jets are looking at another extended period without Scheifele.

“We’re hopeful. It has nothing to do with his previous injury, so that’s the positive,” head coach Paul Maurice said following the game. Scheifele will be re-evaluated today, which is an off-day for Winnipeg, so a further update likely won’t come until Thursday.

“He was fine after (running into Wheeler). It just stiffened up really quickly. We wouldn’t put a player at risk under any circumstances. But in the situation we are, we monitor all our injuries very closely on the bench and as soon as he felt he was really starting to stiffen up we got him out of there,” said Maurice.

As for Laine, he’s been playing on another level lately, scoring at least two goals for the fourth time in his past five games. He’s up to 38 through 66 games, which surpasses the 36 he scored last year in 73 games. With 74 goals in his young career, Laine is creeping closer up the list of teenage scorers in NHL history. Only Jimmy Carson (92), Dale Hawerchuk (85), Wayne Gretzky (76), Brian Bellows (76) and Sidney Crosby (75) have lit the lamp more before their 20th birthday.

“He doesn’t need much time or many opportunities. He’s just a lethal shooter right now, trying to give him the puck as much as we can,” said Maurice.

Laine has 13 goals and six assists in his last nine games. Tuesday was his fourth career hat trick but first this season.

“He’s just got such a unique shot that when you give him that type of time and space it’s a pretty difficult save for a goaltender to make just because of how quickly he gets it off, how accurate it is. It’s a lot of fun to watch right now. He’s scoring some big goals for us,” said Mason, whose successful return is also a major development as the Jets look to give starter Connor Hellebuyck some rest down the stretch.

“It’s a huge advantage. You never know what’s going to happen. Somebody might have a tough night and somebody else might step up and help out. (Hellebuyck) has obviously been our guy this year. So it’s nice to give him a bit of a breather, get him recharged, get (Mason) confident, playing on top of his game, that’s a pretty good one-two punch,” Wheeler said.

Mason admitted he had some luck on the night. In the first period, Mats Zuccarello turned defenceman Joe Morrow inside-out and looked to have an open net on the wraparound, only to be foiled by defenceman Ben Chiarot’s stick and the post. In the second, Zuccarello again looked to have a gaping net, only to fire the puck into Mason’s legs during a scramble.

“Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. So tonight I’ll take it,” said Mason.

Laine opened the scoring with 56 seconds left in the first period, beating Henrik Lundqvist clean with a shot over the shoulder. His second came midway through the game after a nice breakout from Morrow, who hit Chiarot with a long-distance pass. Chiarot entered the New York zone and dropped the puck to Laine, who was given plenty of space and time to rip another rocket past Lundqvist.

“Obviously, we’ve known how special he is. That shot, that release,” said Wheeler.

Laine iced the game with an empty-netter in the final minute. 

Winnipeg improves to 40-17-9 in winning their third straight game, including the first two of this six-game road trip. They remain in second place in the Central Division, six points behind the Nashville Predators.

The journey continues Thursday when the Jets take on the New Jersey Devils.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg